Winter in Haïa
by Haziel
Summary: [shonen ai, crossover, AU] There is a new student at Haïa's Institute of Music... and he plays really well. Exploring some of my favourite pairings... I present a little slice of musical heaven. CHAPTER 6 UP!
1. A new student

Author's note: About the titles- well… I'm a firm believer that every moment should have a soundtrack. The titles you see in bold italic are the soundtrack of the fiction… it's not necessary for you tolisten tothem but should you have them I think it would be fun to try and hear them while reading (it was fun for me when I was writing it). Also… this is a fiction in and alternate universe; the alternate universe being a music school (the Institute I write about is nothing like the real one) so there will be many musical terms and expressions… sorry if I get to technical (warn me if I do). Just hope you enjoy this… I really liked writing it.

Warnings: None whatsoever… perhaps it will change later in the fic (winks). Oh… if Shinji appears to be too confident; he isn't under the effect of the OOC drug. It's just an outer-layer of his true wounded and lonely self (if only someone came along and changed all that). (winks again)

Disclaimer: I hate this part… the characters in this fiction are not mine and I make no profit whatsoever of this.

(gasps and runs away sobbing)

**Winter in Haïa**

**Chapter 1**

**A new student ("20 September, 2017, Thursday")**

"_**Berliner Messe"- Arvo Pärt**_

The scenery was a modest one… a spacious office with a large pine desk in the centre covered mostly with papers, a small laptop computer, a few portraits, a telephone with an intercom and a glass of water. There was someone sitting at a desk… a man, probably at the age of fifty, grey hair with some leftover strands of dark hair, slim long nose, dark eyes, thin mouth wearing a very obvious frown and white somewhat stretched skin; you could say he was a man with whom age had been kind enough. His attention was now focused on one particular pile of papers, as he shuffled through as many as he could… you could make out from some stray pages from the pile…

_Acceptance of entry to the course of trumpet:_

_-Gloria Fanwick_

_-Jonathan Braley_

_-Catherine Estevan_

The man sighed as he stamped yet another one of the seemingly endless papers. He laid back on his seemingly comfortable chair and took a small sip from the glass of water… a lively blush came to his white cheeks (it was actually vodka). He grumbled a bit and returned to his work… he lifted from the chair in an effort from the desk and walked to one of the various cupboards that adorned the green walls. This one was filled with various books with titles raging from "Composition in the Soviet Union" to "Cicconia and the renascent contrapuntist works"… but the male figure went for the small, obviously old stereo system. He pressed the play button and almost immediately the room was filled with the sounds of a chorus singing calmly a Messe.

_Ah… Pärt… you always seemed to catch the true essence of the coldness of winter in your composition._

He resumed to his desk grabbing another parchment… he sighed and rubbed his forehead wincing at a supposed headache.

_And wasn't composing that made you happy… wasn't it what fulfilled you? Instead of this idiotic bureaucracy to help the Cultural Ministry pretend they had everything in order… you should be finishing that stupid symphony. Of course it would be much easier if you had a single drop of talent in you…_

The intercom buzzed with some static before a female voice sounded from it.

"Hmm… Mr. Fuyutsuki… we have the new student you had asked to be warned about. He's right here in the waiting room so you can just call me when…"

The female voice was interrupted by Fuyutsuki when he interrupted her with the most delighted voice.

"Please… I don't want to keep the young man waiting… send him in right away."

He turned off the apparatus and went straight to one of the desk's drawers and took out a parchment similar to the others. You could make out the title of the document: "Acceptance of scholarship". The man rubbed his hands like a child looking at his Christmas present already knowing how good it would be even before it was unwrapped. He quickly resumed a more relaxed and formal stand, with a wide smile still planted on his lips, bringing out several wrinkles on his face.

_Even if you don't have talent you can still…_

The door on the other side of the room squeaked as it opened letting in a male figure. Fuyutsuki's smile widened and bid the figure to sit on the chair in front of him with a welcoming hand. The figure proceeded to sit while he was greeted with a joyous welcome.

"So good to see you have arrived well… it's been such a long time."

…_you can still help those who are blessed with it._

"I trust you had a nice flight…"

The new figure smiled… a teenager, probably in his sixteen-seventeen's, frail body, long arms and legs; his eyes were a dark shade of blue (the kind you get when you stare long enough at the night sky), his hair a messy black bundle adorning his scalp, small perky nose, little mouth, and skin a little more tanned than that of the older man. He looked around with wondering eyes and they stopped at one of the cupboards… the one from where the music was coming. The young man became aware he was supposed to answer and quickly spoke with a soft voice still showing some signs of puberty due to the somewhat high-pitch.

"Thank you for having me here… the trip was very calm. I'm sorry for acting so far-out… it's just that I'm a bit sleepy after the flight."

The older figure chuckled. "Nonsense, it's perfectly natural after a 10 hour trip. I'm surprised you haven't passed out yet… just the jet-lag would be enough to leave me unconscious"

The blue eyed teenager scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit awkward. Fuyutsuki continued.

"I was expecting you would go to your room to get some sleep before coming to see me… but since you're here we could finish up on some business I wanted to take care of. Do you feel well enough to continue?"

"Yes, of course." The response came quickly.

"Very well... I commend your stamina, but after all, you are much younger than I am. But I don't want you to keep you away from our sleep any longer so I'll be quick. Firstly I need you to sign this little paper… it will confirm that you have arrived and you are well enough to start you classes." He handed the boy the paper, which he quickly signed. "Good… now that you have signed I can give you these for your reading."

Fuyutsuki opened another drawer and took out a load of about thirty pages, neatly incardinated and handed it to the dark haired teenager. The young man looked at him enquiringly.

"What you have there is basically your guide for your first year of classes here. It has information on the courses you have picked, the ones that will be lecturing you, the plant of the school and the various facilities. It also has your schedule… since you are an exchange student you will have one extra class. I hope you don't mind, but the thing you must master first hand is the native language; don't worry many people had to go through this… including myself."

The young man gave a friendly nod, smiling.

"Well… just thought you should know. You will be expected to give your best, which I'm sure you will. As for the courses themselves… as you know, you have a very versatile instrument, so you'll be expected to be qualified to play pieces from all the musical periods. Since you have that problem… you'll need to choose in your second year what your area will be… ancient or classic music. Don't worry yourself about it just now; first enjoy your courses."

Fuyutsuki cleared his throat trying to give emphasis to his next words.

"Beyond that information you will find a few envelopes which only you should see their content. They contain vital information like your new ID number and card… consider yourself a new Dutch citizen, at least for the next four years. It also contains the code to your bank account since you are here on scholarship you'll have to be able to use your money… spend it wisely. Last but not least… you should be able to see a little page containing various addresses; they are the addresses to various shops that will give you a discount when you show your school card."

The boy nodded as he inspected said page. The older male lifted from his seat and walked to one of the bookcases. The boy followed him with wondering eyes. Fuyutsuki returned to the desk with a heap of books.

"Your luggage and books have already been delivered to your bedroom… by the way; you do know where the dormitory is located?" The young man nodded. "Good… as I was saying, you already have your books there… but I wanted to offer you these, they will come in handy when making your own repertoire."

The boy quickly jumped to attention. "I can't accept those… they are so many… I just couldn't!"

"Now… please, you know you don't have to act like that with me. I have known you since you were born; I was a great friend of your mother… I was even there when you first played the cello. It's only natural that I should want to celebrate you being accepted into one of the most prestigious Institutes of the world. Now please take them; they range from Bach to Shostakovich pieces… just to help you make up your mind."

The male youth blushed a bit as he accepted the books; yet he wasn't able to hide his happy and anxious expression as he took a look at the titles. "Thank you so much… I don't know what to say" He thanked between "uhs" and "ahs". Fuyutsuki chuckled.

"The pleasure is mine for having you here. You should be really proud of yourself… we have one scholarship per course to give each year… you were the youngest of the applicants, 16 years old, and you succeeded. You have made yourself quite a reputation among your teachers."

The blush became more vivid on the boy's face. "Please… it's not necessary for you to embarrass me." That resulted in a chortle from Fuyutsuki.

"I don't want to detain you any longer. You have the key to your room… you better get some rest. Classes will not start until next week, but there are already some few students here since it's where they live; just like you. Oh yes… I moved a few strings and managed to get you a Japanese roommate. I know he will help you settle in… you'll enjoy his company I'm sure."

"Thank you uncle… I mean director Fuyutsuki."

"Don't go formal with me when it's only us… you used to call me that when I lived near you. It was good to be a kind of honorary family member. I want to remember those times and I know that with you here it will be much easier. Now… off you go. I think you want to know this… she's here as well, since she's a permanent like you. I think she's over at the piano section… you might want to say hello; she's been expecting you."

"Great… first thing I'll do then…"

The teenager got up with the heavy bundle in his arms. As he walked out the door Fuyutsuki got up.

"Oh… just one more thing… welcome to Haïa Shinji-kun…"

Shinji chuckled. "Thank you uncle Fuyutsuki…"

He walked away living the older man alone. He sat by his chair with a happy sigh and returned his attention to the pile of papers… he was frowning in an instant.

* * *

Arvo Pärt/ (1935- ) still living, 70 year old Estonian composer; his work is known for the extremely mystical and secular character of his works. Although simple, his composition is exceptionally deep and melodically complex… he is known to say that "it is enough when a single note is played beautifully". 

Author's note: warn me if you don't like the little biographical note on the ending or if you have any doubts so I can answer them.

Look at the shiny review button… don't you just wish you could say what you think of my work? Well… you can so go ahead. Please…


	2. Old friends

A/N:I still can't find a way to put audio into this thing… well anyway; the music titles are staying. Warn me if I get to technical or if I make to many mistakes.

Warning: None whatsoever… it's actually a very sweet and innocent chapter.

Disclaimer: Must I endure this every single chapter? Alright then… the characters in this fiction do not belong to me and I make no money whatsoever out of this.

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**Chapter 2**

**Old friends**

_**Study nº 7 in C sharp minor op.25- Frédéric Chopin **_

Shinji Ikari, new student at the Haïa Institute of Music, walked slowly through the silent halls of the orchestral department of the facilities. He carried in his arms a bundle of books and papers and was now reading the paper on top of the small stack… a map of the facilities.

_Now I'm supposed to go left on this corridor…_

He proceeded to do so. The young man had a cheerful smile planted on his lips... there he was, at the school he had been dreaming to frequent for the last three years; he would have the best installations, the greatest lecturers, the finest concert halls and of course the top chances of succeeding in a grand musical career… it was from these walls that for the last ten years the finest fingers, lungs, spirits, minds and talents in the musical background came to the professional environment of the world. There was Vienna, America, the almighty Russia… but the best of interpreters in the chord instruments department had their studies at Haïa; and since Shinji was himself learning the cello he could consider himself in the right place.

_And now I turn right and I find…_

A dead end came in front of the teenager… after a few minutes he was again walking through the halls of the orchestral department, smile still planted on his happy cheeks.

_Sugoi… this place is huge… _

Sometimes stray sounds of instruments, steps, or voices erupted from the seemingly omnipresent veil of silence reminding Shinji that in little more than four days he would no longer be able to walk these corridors in such seeming calmness. He turned left at the corridor. The prospect of hundreds of students attending the school sprang something in Shinji's spirit… he wasn't afraid of feeling awkward knowing nobody; it was actually the idea of establishing new relationships… he had had his fair share of bad ones and didn't want to repeat the whole dreadful deal. It was actually one of the things that made the male youth so happy and confident… the idea of social nullity, starting all over, no strings attached; it sounded wonderfully.

_Straight ahead after the left turn…_

He stared at the exit to the facilities…a few minutes later Shinji was again walking through the corridors of the orchestral department, his smile had been replaced by a fading grin as he looked for some reference he could follow. The bundle in his arms was getting heavier each second, his muscles begging for the rest they had been denied during the flight. He sighed and stopped in the middle of the hall trying the figure out what to do.

_Maybe someone will come along the corridor and I can ask for directions… who am I kidding? If there are people, they must be inside the classrooms studying and even if I do find them they probably won't be able to help since I'm as illiterate as a…_

And then it came to him… the soft humming sounds of hammers hitting metal chords… piano playing and not to far away. But there was something else that brought Shinji to attention; what was being played precisely at that time. A slow sad tune that reminded him of lost feelings… a calm melody rising from a forest of dark sounds and ominous harmonics.

_Chopin!_

As if the bundle of papers in his arms had turned into a feather light weight, Shinji darted towards the sound following his ears.

_There's only one person that would play Chopin like this!_

* * *

Left, right, up the stairs, straight… the male figure ran through the corridors at fast pace only stopping when he wasn't sure where the sound had come from. He arrived promptly at the piano section but did not slow down to contemplate his achievement, still focused on the sound that bid him to come to its source. A few seconds later he was in front of a blue coloured wooden door with a glass window, in which was written: **"Piano section/ 14"**. He inhaled sharply trying to catch his breath from the quick sprint and attempted to free one of his arms to knock on the door. The knock came sheepishly, Shinji doubting if he had such great musical recollection.

"Who is it?" A feminine voice, calm and calculated came from the other side of the door.

_It's her…_

Shinji smiled and said. "You know… you shouldn't play your chords so mathematically. Grief and suffering are never the sort of things you can plan so well."

"Shinji… SHINJI…" The calmness turned into joyful glee as sounds of running feet came to the door and it was swung open revealing a medium sized girl with sky blue hair, snow white skin and striking red eyes. "Shinji… it is you!"

The stack of books came to the floor as the two young teenagers came into each other's arms in a strong embrace. They parted all grins and somewhat childish giggles. Shinji stretched his arms wide.

"Well… I'm here! Told you, you couldn't run away from me Ayanami Rei…"

"I never wanted to Shinji-kun… now get yourself in here."

Shinji grabbed his stuff from the floor and entered the room. It was a small one with a wooden table, two chairs and a black upright piano. He dropped the bundle on top of the table, his arms thanking him for the rest they needed so much. He walked to one of the chairs and sat looking expectantly at his old childhood friend. Rei sat down on the chair in front of him.

"I'm so glad you have arrived… you're so different from two years ago. It's not the same talking over the phone and being right next to you. How has it been for you so far, the Institute?"

Shinji scratched his head smiling. "It's huge… it's going to take me some time for me not to get lost. I just hope this doesn't make me get late to classes."

Rei laughed. "I know what you mean… it took me awhile to walk the halls and know where I was. But it should only take you a few days… just memorize your ways to the different rooms you have to attend and then start exploring when you have time. If you get lost just go back where you were from the start."

Shinji snickered deviously "Thanks mom…"

The blue haired girl frowned and slapped his hand, annoyed. "Well if you don't want my help…" She pouted but only for a few seconds before she returned her happy sisterly expression. "God… it's so good having you here! I still can't believe we'll be living together just a few feet away from each other just like when we were neighbours back at Japan. I've missed you so much… and you have changed a lot; if the photos you sent weren't enough now you're here confirm it. You're not that little scrawny looking boy I met… man I'm old!"

"Thank you… I never thought you considered me scrawny. And about you getting old; please… you're two years older. Don't go all patronizing with me…"

"Well… I do have to act like the big sis around here don't I."

They both exchanged quiet laughs and stared at each other not knowing how to truly express their happiness. Shinji yawned.

"And how have you been… made any friends or does the cold, heartless piano virtuoso act still suit you?"

"You know that I'm not much for friends… few and good, that's what I think. The others can freeze for all I care… besides, I'm not that lonely without you. I've made some new acquaintances and I have a very good friend. I'll introduce you to him when I have the chance… he's here already so you'll probably meet before I'm able to make the proper introductions."

"Oh really…?" Shinji commented with a mocking expression.

"Don't act like that… you're not that young so I can get mad at you if I want to. It's nothing like that… we're just good friends and there will be no more than that between us… believe me, it's not going to happen."

"I guess you're right…" Shinji gave another jaw displacing yawn. "He'd probably die of hypothermia before he could even try anything on you."

"It's not that Shinji…" Her explanation was interrupted by yet another heavy yawn. "What's the matter… haven't you slept since your flight?"

"Hmm… no; I went to see Fuyutsuki before I turned to my quarters." That comment resulted in Rei frowning.

"Uncle Fuyutsuki needs a little remainder that humans need to sleep. You… go right to your quarters. Grab your things and go sleep… 10 hours of flight and a 9 hour jetlag isn't good for anyone."

"Ok, ok… I'm going." He got up grumbling and retrieved the hefty stack from the table. He went for the door and the moment he was about to exit he was caught in Rei's warm hug. She squeezed him gently and gave him a little peck on the cheek.

"Good to have you here little Shinji…"

"Good to be had… and I'm not so little anymore Ayanami."

He received a small smack on the head. "That may be true… but you're still my little Shinji."

"Ai, ai…"

He walked away to his bedroom, leaving Rei to her piano. She played the piece again… but wasn't able to continue… there was no place for grief or torment at that moment. She decided to play Mozart instead.

* * *

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849): Cursed with a very short life, the compositor is the paradigm on the "Romantic artist". Both a great composer and an astounding piano player, his works for piano encompass his withdrawn and temperamental nature. The 24 _études (opus 10 and 25) _are obligatory for a piano student's _repertoire_. Study no. 7 op. 25 is one of the slowest (perhaps the only one that can be considered slow) and most introvert since it requires the interpreter to find out what to make of it.

A/N: See… I told you… Shinji's back to his solitary and worried self again… ok, perhaps not with Rei; but she was made for the part of adoptive big sister.

Notice the small "submit review" button down below… why not (plz)? Warn me if there is something you think I should change.


	3. Roommates

A/N: Thank you for the reviews… they do wonders for my self-esteem . I got this idea… there are some music pieces that are divided in movements. Therefore, I'm going to use those divisions to make the writing more dynamic. I'll start off with one any NGE fan must know. Tell me what you think. Enter the Crossover… the first guest stars have arrived and they are: read and find out.

Warning: Slightest almost inexistent reference to shonen-ai… it will get worst, be warned.

Disclaimer: (Secret agents have entered my room and are pointing guns at me) The characters of this fiction are not mine and I make no money whatsoever out of this.

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**Chapter 3**

**Roommates**

It was a somewhat small room… but it was too dark to make out any form that could be considered furniture. Just a few stray lines of light coming from malfunctioning shutters made it able to spot shadows. And right now, one of those shadows was moving… the almost inexistent light made it able to at least confirm that the shadow belonged to a human being.

Sounds began bouncing of the walls of the small room… strings… a violin. Tempering… the various fifths that were part of the ritual sounded each at a time before being calibrated and played again and again until the chords were just perfectly feeling the room with delicious harmonics. The figure in the centre of the room cleared its throat and gave a low serene chuckle. Suddenly you could see, for a mere fraction of a second, a bow descending on the strings.

_**Partita no. 3 in E major for solo violin BWV 1006- Johann Sebastian Bach**_

_

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_1-Preludio_

Shinji almost bounced his way through the exit of one of the buildings to the central patio of the Institute. As he walked across the large open area he was greeted by a cold gust of wind… though it was September, there was already the promise of autumn in the air. Shinji smiled at the strong twist of the air… letting the chilly stream caress his happy face. If it wasn't for the fear of being discovered he would have gave a happy shriek; instead he gave an ever so childish jump in the air.

Who cared if he was acting like a case that belonged in another kind of Institute? He was beginning a new life of his own. No problems, no past, no enemies, no one to blame him for all the bad things that happened… no bad memories; he was simply a new human waiting to become whatever he wanted to become. He yawned… right now this new human wanted a bed.

_Let me see if I've got it right…_

He made an effort not to let everything in his arms fall as he tried to fish out the map that had been given to him. He sighed as he successfully took the small chart out and placed it on top of the heap so he could look at it when he needed. He examined it and tried to place himself geographically.

He was now next to the fountain, the frozen water the only thing that reminded him that it was supposed to be a beautiful display of aquatic engineering… if he turned right he would go to the Antique Music pavilion… left and he would be back to where he had met Rei and Fuyutsuki… if he turned back from where he was he would arrive at the concert and recording hall in the concerto pavilion… so if he went straight he would go to the quarters and cafeteria. He nodded to himself and followed straight up, walking through a small garden with benches too wet to be used and plants to frozen to be beautiful… at least the trees, stripped to bare white wood gave an almost mythological appeal to the site. It all made Shinji the more contempt… quiet peaceful, solitary… he would be coming here more often.

As he walked he couldn't help hear out some stray instrumental pieces… people were already preparing their lessons. People… again the thought occurred to Shinji. What kind of people would frequent the Institute?

_We'll probably have more in common than the people back home… at least we all like music. And I'm sure their nice enough so I'll get along. And if I'm lucky they'll be too busy to even notice me so I'll just become part of the scenery. Better to be ignored than hated I suppose._

Shinji's smile faded as thought of past torments and pains crossed his mind. He shrugged off the thoughts. He had no reason to fear anything or anyone from back home… back home was hours of flight from him. He was safe, in the best place he ever dreamed of living in and he was with Ayanami... he wouldn't have the chance to be lonely or scared with her around. The grin returned to his face ten times stronger.

He stopped walking when he reached his destination and admired the sight, mouth ajar. It was a modest pavilion… a big concrete construction that was more practical than beautiful unlike the other buildings in the grounds… it was really big since there was a cafeteria on top and then six floors of small bedrooms. What made the construction so amazing was the fact that the building was completely covered in vines that had grown in thick layers around the various windows; only the sixth floor seemed to elude the vines. And what made the scenery more fascinating was the fact that the vines had frozen with the cold making the assembly look more like a gigantic ice castle built by the winds and snow.

Shinji fished out his key… he was in room 637 which meant he was in the sixth and last floor. Shinji sighed…

_Just what I needed…_

He entered the building so concentrated on the pain that seven flights of stairs promised, he didn't even notice that from outside he could see his bedroom's window and that his was the only one that had the shutters closed.

_

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_2-Loure_

The dark haired teenager gulped at the sight of the interior of the cafeteria; it was huge, yes, everything in the Institute seemed to have the scales all mixed up by one or two digits… but there was something else that made the room so impressive; it was huge, yes, but it was also very stylish. The tables were not the simple "get the metal legs, bad quality wood, I don't care if it doesn't fit just put them together" style but matured looking good old pine wood with slim polished metal legs; the chairs looked very comfortable and instead of being a plain plank of wood the were covered with two cushions; the cafeteria in itself was composed of a little stand where many snacks and drinks were displayed and a few vending machines and coffee dispensers; even more amazing was the small stage set on the middle of one of the walls of the room set up with sheet stands and a piano (to Shinji's great amazement a Steinway grand piano).

But of course, that was not the reason why Shinji gulped… the room was filled with people. From Shinji's quick surveillance at least more than seventy; many where sat in the comfortable chairs, others were by the cafeteria and there were about four of them around the piano happily chatting away and trying on some tunes (Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Debussy…). None noticed Shinji but that didn't prevent the male youth from becoming extremely uncomfortable. He remembered what Fuyutsuki said…

"_Classes will not start until next week, but there are already some few students…"_

The blue eyed boy shrugged… if these were just a few students that meant that when the classes did start there would be lots and lots more students. Which meant Shinji's attempt in blending in with the scenery would not be so successful; even if he was very careful there were some people that were bound to notice him… and he was still very apprehensive with the whole roommate story. The boy slapped himself mentally.

_Ikari Shinji… you are not home. They do not hate you, they do not even know you… and they aren't so thick-headed that they'll strike at anything unknown. The people here have all been nice to you and they have no problem with you. You are a musician like them not some strange kid with stupid hobbies. Now… you march right in get yourself up the stairs to the room and get some sleep. And if you dare acting like the scared sorry bastard you are I'll… just don't._

The boy took in a deep breath and entered the room casually looking for the stairs…

_And for god's sake smile!_

The people in the bar didn't pay much attention to the seemingly cheerful figure that had entered the room and went for the stairs… a bit too quickly one might say.

The stray beads of light from the window were all that made anything in the room visible. There were forms and shadows of forms that made you feel a bit uncertain about where you truly were. Only a figure, a human one, moved in the centre of the dimly lit compartment… and it move at blistering speed. From that figure emerged great waves of sound that rebounded on the walls making the reverberation almost deafening. Yet the melody that was being played was in a way soothing gently coursing into your ears and filling your senses with nothing but sheer music.

The music faded to silence leaving an enormous emptiness for such a small room. The figure breathed deeply and stretched its arms and returned to the previous position it had been; supporting a violin (at least it looked like one from what you could make out) on the left elbow one hand holding it the other preparing what looked like a bow. A chuckle… the arm holding the bow fell mercilessly onto the violin.

_

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_3-Gavotte en rondeau _

Shinji went up yet another flight of stairs gasping, a bit out of breath… and it was just the fourth flight. The problem with the stairs were that they were quite hard to climb and not close to each other; when you went up a flight of stairs you had to go to the other side of the long corridor of bedroom doors to get to the next, making the trip much more straining. If that wasn't enough there were crowds of people with luggage and instruments trying to get into the room made Shinji's trip much slower in case he wouldn't bump into anyone.

Up until now there seemed to be no problems… and to the young man's great contempt everyone seemed extremely friendly; some people had even cleared space to let Shinji pass; not that it wasn't necessary since Shinji had the strange capacity to meld onto the walls and passed through the most cramped spaces… it was something that he was used to do and he was glad he was so good at doing it…

"Hey man… haven't seen you in a while. How was old gay Paris…? Hey… is that you Jane… AH!"

A green cap was the last thing Shinji saw before he collided onto a fast moving object. His back connected strongly against the polished wood floor. His nerves responded with a shock of pain coursing through his whole body making the boy almost yelp. He tried to get his stuff from the floor as quickly as he could before people started getting interested.

_Baka, baka, baka…_

It wasn't until he was up on his feet that he became aware that it was a person and not an object he had crashed into. He quickly cast his sight downwards to find a male figure sprawled on the floor rubbing his head soothingly… his scalp was adorned with the most astonishing and long crimson hair caught in a beautiful braid. The figure continued rubbing his head with quiet whimpers…

"Shit… I do that too often…"

Shinji quickly offered a hand and pulled the male up…

_There it's done… this is all I needed for my first day; just when I thought I could get away with being quiet I have to bump into a person._

"Gome… I mean, I'm so sorry. I really wasn't looking where I was going." The dark haired boy struggled to make amend frantically apologizing.

"Hmm… don't worry. It was probably my bad. I don't seem to be able to switch into gaseous mode and I kind of forget I have a body of my own. Thank you for lifting me up."

"No really… it was my entire fault. I should have…"

"Hey!" The red-haired figure exclaimed bringing Shinji to a halt. "Enough already with the apologizing, it's not a first offense or anything. It's not like I'm mad or I'm going to beat you now is it. Relax ok?"

Shinji made an effort to relax as he was ordered… he wasn't that successful. The other male smiled cheerfully as he saw Shinji's attempt…

"I guess that'll do for now then… are you hurt?" Shinji shook his head negatively. "Good… I suppose I'm fine as well. Just hope I don't get a bump or anything." He fetched his cap that had been lying on the floor. "Now then… I guess I'm at least up for some presentations… my name is D…"

The red haired boy looked around… there was no sign of the other teenager.

_

* * *

_

_4a-Menuet I_

Shinji moved now at a blistering speed through the corridor no caring if there was anyone in front of him (fortunately for him there weren't any). He didn't quite know why he was running… the other person had said he was not going to hit him so there was no need for him to avoid him. He had actually been awfully nice and friendly to him… that was it; that was what was bugging Shinji so much. He had been extremely friendly so offhandedly without even knowing Shinji that it was just strange…

_Heck… he was even nicer than anyone that had come to know me._

So why was he running… the other person had probably been offended at Shinji running away right after making him fall; and he did seem in pain so it was obviously wrong to leave him alone. The male youth corrected himself… he hadn't been left alone; there were lots of people around them when they fell. And all of those people had seen the way Shinji had ran away without even speaking a word and leaving the area like an idiotic bastard. He blushed at the thought… what would they say about him; what would they do when they saw him again?

Shinji reached the fifth floor almost unconscious with aster the interior self-beating; that and the fact that if he didn't reach a bed I the next ten minutes he would pass out then and there on the floor. He still tortured himself about what he had done in the lower floor but was making an effort to see things on the bright side. It had happened on the just one floor so all the other floors knew nothing about it; there had been less than ten people close by and all of them had been very busy; there was the slight possibility that the other teenager had suffered mild amnesia from the concussion so he would forget everything about it. Shinji's reasoning, although extremely farfetched, made him feel a bit surer of possible redemption and a subtle smile returned to his face. He even felt cheerful when he finally reached the final flight of steps and began dashing in the direction of his room

_4b-Menuet II_

"Don't you dare… not here!"

"Humph… fine then."

It was a cramped cubicle with metal walls and a small lamp on the ceiling. Two people… male; one a medium built boy around his 15-16 with platinum-blonde hair half grown, bangs covering his face, eyes green and tanned skin that contrasted with his scalp; the other a tall teenager, probably older than the other one, brown hair in a very original hairstyle with a large fringe covering his face almost completely, dark eyes and very clear skin. Both were intent on ignoring the other to their strongest efforts suddenly taking interest on the wall right next to him.

The brown haired teenager was the first to give in and turned to the other male youth. "Do you think the classes this year will be better than last?"

The blonde boy turned to meet his face. "I hope so… I hear there is a new Voice teacher… apparently a great prodigy from England."

"Hmm… sounds interesting… do you think you'll profit from this new addiction to our Institute."

"Doubt it… but sounds fun anyway."

They both smiled at each other. The blonde spoke in his somewhat high-pitched voice. "Missed you this summer… Arabia is not the same without good company."

Both figures chuckled.

_4c-Menuet I_

Sixth floor… Shinji reached it and almost gave a little leap at his great conquest, but didn't… too tired. He looked at his key again… 637. Just a bit more and he would be there. He began walking serenely with his hefty bundle making mental notes…

_Don't bump into people… sleep more often… get a backpack for carrying things… try and not be frightened by people… sleep more often… don't run away from people that are nice to you… figure out a better way to get to your room otherwise just exercise to get some resistance… what the heck; let me get some sleep!_

Shinji sighed… of all the things he had to forget… why sleep? It wasn't that hard… get yourself horizontally on something and close your eyes. Perhaps a glass of milk, ten minutes reading or an extra pillow; but other than that there was no need for anything more.

The blue eyed boy looked at the wall he was crossing at a serene pace. He was now passing by the door numbered 612. Shinji began to quicken his pace… 613… 614… he was now dashing with a happy smile… 616… 618… he began running… 621… 625… metal door opening…

"What about you… have you anything planned for this concert season…AH!"

Shinji hit once more the floor with a heavy thud bringing down with him two more figures.

_LET ME JUST GET TO MY ROOM!_

He should have taken the elevator…

_

* * *

_

_5-Bourée_

Shinji got up from the floor with his book in hand. He looked down, feeling a bit of a déjà-vu, as he found two bodies on top of each other one of them, with the platinum-blonde hair, rubbing his head. The one on the bottom of the pile was placidly waiting for the other one to move. Shinji acted quickly giving a hand up to the blonde figure… after a few seconds both figures were on their feet a bit dazed after the sudden collision. They looked at Shinji apologetically making the blue eyed boy uncomfortable… he tried not to sound to embarrassed.

"Hmm… I'm sorry. I didn't know there was an elevator so I tried to go a bit faster down the hall. Truly sorry…"

The blond male looked at Shinji a bit concerned. "You mean to tell me you went all the way up the stairs to the last floor?" He turned to the other male figure. "I told you they should have put the sign for the elevator."

The brown-haired teenager browed at the somewhat accusatory sentence. "And why are you telling me this. Is it my fault?"

"Well I'm sorry; but I seem to remember someone being voted student representative… I suppose it was your job." The blonde figure looked back at Shinji ignoring the other man's grumbling. "Are you alright… you don't seem that well."

Shinji was taken back by the sudden care a person was showing for him… this was indeed different from back home. "Hmm… I-I'm fine. Just a bit sleepy after getting here by plane and I already bumped into someone when I was…"

There was suddenly a flash in Shinji's mind and he suddenly remembered where he had already seen the strange combination of blonde hair with tanned skin and the very strange hairstyle. He gasped…

"Quatre Raberba Winner!"

The blonde gave a jump at the sudden burst. "Hmm… yes…?"

"Trowa Barton!"

The dark-eyed teenager looked enquiringly (with a hint of fear) at Shinji. "Where did we meet?"

The enthusiasm quickly faded from Shinji's blue eye's as he was confronted with the sight of the two enquiring faces. A vivid red color logged in his cheeks.

"Hmm… I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me. It's just that… you are, aren't you?" The other two male nodded, confused. "Well… I have heard you play and I have your CD's. I know it sounds strange, but I recognized and I couldn't believe at first…"

_God I'm pitiful… get the pompoms and do a little dance why won't you?_

"I guess you could call me a fan…"

Quatre and Trowa blushed and looked at each other. "Oh…!" Quatre exclaimed, as understanding dawned on him. "You are talking about the Solstice Quintet… you really know all of us?" Shinji nodded. "Wow... this is really something. Well… thank you, I feel really awkward, in a good way; it's not everyday you are rewarded for your job this way, right Trowa?" The stunned man by his side nodded as Quatre continued speaking in a very jovial fashion. "I hope you don't mind me asking but, since you already know our name, could you tell us yours?"

"Oh, of course… sorry, I keep forgetting how to be civilized. My name is Shinji… Ikari Shinji, I mean Shinji Ikari, sorry about the Japanese." He extended his hand as a greeting.

"You mean the new Cello student?" Trowa was direct… so direct that it made Shinji gasp and widen his eyes perplexedly.

Quatre saw Shinji's uneasiness. "You see… you've made yourself quite a name among the teachers. Mr. Fuyutsuki was raving about you; he even made us hear your admission recording… very good Bach interpretation by the way. You should be proud…"

Shinji blushed madly. "Who did you say Fuyutsuki showed my recording?"

"Oh… just us; don't worry, you're not that well known around the school. But you look terrible… you really must have some sleep. Where did you say your room was?"

"My room… my room's 627…"

"Really… that's terrific. You'll be right next to our room… we'll be neighbors. That's great!"

Shinji's eyes widened with surprise and disbelief… Quatre Winner and Trowa Barton were students at the Institute of Haïa. The Emerald Timbre and the Silent Fiddler were going to be his roommates…

_Don't look too happy; don't scare them…_

Shinji made an effort to draw the perfect semi-contempt grin. "That's wonderful… I'm really glad we'll be right next door…"

"Well… let's get going then…" Trowa seemed to spring to life a he began leading the group the few steps to their rooms.

Shinji made the rest of the few steps with a somewhat lightness in his chest… he had met two very nice and talented students and they were going to be very close to him. Maybe they could have friendly chats or perhaps even study together. They reached the door. "Well this is my room… 627."

"And we'll be right next door… if you ever have any problem at all come talk to us. I know this school can be a bit intimidating at first but I'm sure you'll blend in. I think he's inside… so you'll have to ask him to be quiet."

"Hmm… who…?"

"You're roommate… I think I understand why Fuyutsuki chose him. You are both Japanese… it's nice to be able to speak your language with someone else when you're at your room. Doesn't make you feel so away from home… some of us don't have that privilege…"

"I told you I'm learning!" Trowa scolded in his defense.

"I know you are and that's nice. Well Shinji… see you tomorrow I guess."

"Yes… nice meeting you. And sorry for the way we had to meet."

"It doesn't matter… at least we met."

They walked way leaving Shinji in front of his bedroom door a bit disconcerted… they were odd; but then again so was he, probably more so. The young male felt more exhausted than ever… yet there was something invigorating about Quatre. He was so friendly… it was like his life's search was to make you feel at home. Trowa was a bit quiet and distant… but he was alright as well. Shinji smirked… this was going to be an interesting year. He grabbed his key and went for the lock; he turned and opened it.

_OH MY…_

_

* * *

_

_6-Gigue_

…_GOD!_

Shinji opened the door to his dim lit room… it was a small one yet it looked comfortable. The walls were plane white; there was a small desk and adjacent to it a bookcase by the window with the closed shutters, a small door on the right side that supposedly led to the room's bathroom, a small table on the other side of the division with three chairs and two single beds on opposite walls. But that wasn't what had spurred Shinji's attention… more the figure on the center of the room back facing him.

Male, tall…quite tall, lean but not skinny, wearing a simple outfit of an orange T-shirt and brown slacks revealing almost pure white skin as if never touched by the sun, long arms holding a violin and playing it like no on he had ever seen, hair a shade of silver or downcast sky half-grown arranged in a disarray of locks and eyes…

_Let them be red…_

The male figure stopped playing as he sensed the sudden burst of light from the open door. He turned towards Shinji. They were red… scarlet orbs adorning pleasant features with a perky nose and a casual smile that seemed built in. He gave a small chuckle…

"Music is indeed wonderful… fills you soul. Bach must have been given the most beautiful wings when he died." He paused after the strange and somewhat mystic intervention. "So you're my new roommate… hajimemashite."

"A pleasure to m-meet you as well Nagisa Kaworu." Shinji tried… not sure of what he should do.

The male figure was thrown back. "You know me?"

"You are unaware of your position… I mean… I have heard you play before. I'm a bit of a fan of you as a violinist."

"Oh… I'm really flattered. But you're not such a stranger to these parts Ikari-kun… uncle Fuyutsuki told been giving me a lot of information about you."

"Please… call me Shinji, Nagisa." The boy tried to remain calm but the strong blush crawling around his nose denoted a bit of awkwardness.

"If you want me too then I would prefer it if you called me Kaworu."

They both smiled at each other… Shinji tried not to jump. Nagisa Kaworu, the Violin Angel was his roommate. Kaworu broke the silence as he opened the shutters almost blinding Shinji.

"So… how was your trip? Are you tired?"

"Hmm, what…? Oh no, not at all… I'm quite awake actually."

"Good…"

* * *

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Bach is considered as the greatest composer of all times and is the undoubted master of the Baroque period. His work is huge and it is only natural that everyone has heard of him in some way. The violin partitas are one of the works most valued by the violinist for its beauty and required dexterity and virtuosity; the partita no. 3 is the most lighthearted of the three but that is not to say lightweight… it is featured in the Death/Rebirth NGE film (Gavotte en rondeau).

A/N: So… there they are; the Crossover begins (there are a few more yet to come). Sorry about the very, oh so very lame nicks (emerald timbre… yeah right), but I really did it on purpose; you'll understand. Review me… please; I really want to know what you think.


	4. Trouble sleeping

**A/N: **Sorry about my work coming out so slow... I promise it'll be quicker from now on.

**Warning: **Shonen-ai… therefore it depicts (albeit not graphically) a romantic relationship between two males. For those of you who do not agree or feel shocked with these subjects please stop reading (and welcome to the XXI century… sit around and be amazed).

**Disclaimer: **Here we go again… the characters in this fiction do not belong to me and I gain no profit from this.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 4**

**Trouble sleeping**

_**Violin Sonata in A Major- Georg Friedrich Handel**_

Irony is a bitch…

Shinji contemplated this thought as he looked up at the ceiling of his new room. He was laying on his bed… a very comfortable one, not too old with soft pillows. He was in a quiet space, dark enough for him to rest his eyes but a few stray rays of light from the outside streetlamps that entered through the shutters made it possible for him to check his surroundings. He had ten hours flight on top of him and he should have been sleeping nine hours ago. Everything was perfect; sleep had the welcoming red carpet into Shinji's tired body… so why didn't it come?

Since meeting Kaoru something had changed in Shinji… like an auxiliary battery that had suddenly started feeding the boy's system with coffee beans. It had been helpful when he was able to stay awake the whole evening up and cheerful, he had even got the chance to eat dinner with Kaworu at proper hours helping his system adjust to the new time zone.

_Kaworu was awfully nice…_

* * *

Shinji was calmly sorting his things in the bedroom. His clothes were already in his half of the closet, some of his books and sheets were on the bookcase and he was now going through his collection of CD's… a few of them, nothing compared to Kaworu's collection that was proudly displayed on two shelves spanning from music of the XIV century to the most recent composition of the XXI.

To Shinji's embarrassment many of the CD's from his collection were Kaworu's recordings… his roommate was the great violin sensation of the moment… only eighteen and had already performed great piece's of work from Bach, Paganinni, Glazunov amongst others; not only was he young and gifted but he had a talent for communication with his audience… it was like you could almost hear beautiful words coming from his instrument… a Stradivarius replica, custom made especially for his physique; offered to him by the Japanese Cultural Ministry. His recordings spanned from chamber music (with the Solstice Quintet) to solo works… and Shinji had them all. To the blue-eyed boy, Kaworu wasn't just an idol… he was an example of how effort could compensate you… it was Shinji's somewhat dreamy goal to achieve recognition in the same way the red-eyed violinist had.

Speaking of the devil… the grey haired male entered the room holding two trays with food and drinks on them. "Hope you don't mind me bringing the food up here." He almost tripped with the effort to hold the two dishes balanced.

Shinji quickly stood up and went to help his roommate holding one tray for him. They set them on the table. "Why did you bring the food up here? It wasn't necessary and you could have asked for my help."

"Don't worry yourself so much Shinji. You seemed busy with sorting your things and I had supposed it would be nice if you didn't have to go downstairs… it's a bit crowded and noisy."

Shinji was a bit worried about the thought of the crowded cafeteria… it spelled disaster for the blue eyed boy. Normally in those situations something bad always happened, ending up with a fight or a discussion. All and all… Shinji just liked to avoid crowded rooms; in his theory it brought out the worst in people.

"Besides…" Kaworu continued. "I thought it would be nice if we could have a meal just the two of us to get to know each other a little better. After all… we'll be sleeping in the same room for the whole year."

Shinji blushed. "Hmm… yes you're right. It's a very good idea… thank you very much. I would like that."

Kaworu smiled at the slightly crimson color that had settled on his younger roommate's cheeks. "Then what are we waiting for… let's eat. Hope you don't mind, but I brought you an orange juice since I guessed you would like to drink it; if you want, we can share my cherry soda."

"No thank you… actually orange juice is what I normally have." Shinji gaze mesmerized as he sat on the table. "How did you know?"

Kaworu grinned triumphantly. "I'm good at guessing people's tastes."

They ate silently… the silence made Shinji uncomfortable; it was like he was expected to say something. And only do make it worse, Kaworu was looking at him with the most intent face… everything resulted in Shinji's cheeks turning a few more shades of red (something that had obviously become a habit). Kaworu smirked… he cleared his throat and resumed eating.

_Was I supposed to say anything…? I mean, it was his idea in the first place. Shouldn't he be the one to...?_

"So Shinji-kun… tell me; where exactly do you come from?"

"Oh... I come from Tokyo… outskirts, small flat."

"Good… I never quite got the feel for Japan. Taken to Vienna when I was only eight… but I do remember Tokyo; wonderful place as I recall."

Shinji felt the urge to giggle… Kaworu was behaving a bit like Fuyutsuki; he suppressed it with a fork full of rice… he hadn't quite got the hang of them, he missed the chopsticks. Kaworu continued with the mild talking.

"And how old are you exactly?"

"I'm sixteen…"

"Really… that's amazing… the Institute has only selected a few students at the age of sixteen."

"You were one of them I think."

"Why yes…" Kaworu scratched his head a bit disconcerted yet his smile lingered. "…that's true. Sorry for asking; but where did you learn all these things about me?"

Shinji blushed brightly… yes, it was rude of him to pray into Kaworu's life; but it wasn't his fault, the violinist was very famous and many interesting facts about his life were commented on his albums. "Hmm… I've told you I'm a bit of a fan. I have read about you. You see, your albums have booklets and I like to read them…"

"Y-You have my albums?" The grey-haired teenager's serene and pleasant face became stressed.

"Yes… I do." He got up from the table and went for his bag… he got out some CD boxes and went back to the table. He presented them to Kaworu with a guilty expression. "I have all of them…"

Kaworu inspected them slowly with his hands turning the boxes his smile still in his face but twitching nervously… all of them had pictures of the red eyed youth; playing the violin, holding the violin, placidly walking through the streets, studying the musical sheets with the violin by his side. "Oh god…" Shinji looked up at Kaworu's face sheepishly… he was surprised to find the older male's face deeply red, even more then his. "… I look so horribly pretentious. Is this the idea they make of me?"

"Oh no… these are just some pictures. Your music and interpretation tells me much more about you than simple photos." He paused for brief seconds contemplating what he just said… and hated himself.

_Now… if a single bolt of lightning was to, say, accidentally fall on my head, everything would be just perfect._

Kaworu looked up at Shinji and instead of a worried or shocked expression, he gave him the most joyful and gut-clenching smiled the dark haired boy had seen. "Thank you… it really means a lot to me that you feel that way." And yet again Shinji's face reddened.

The grey haired male approached Shinji slowly smiling… the younger male retreated subtly not knowing what would come out of his peculiar roommate. "I just had this idea…" Kaworu spoke entertainingly. "… I'm going to make a little recording at Amsterdam this January… I was wondering if you'd like to come."

Shinji almost jumped up from his chair. "Really… you're serious? I would love to come." He became aware that he had perhaps overreacted and resumed his normal stand.

The older male chuckled. "Great… it's settled then. I'll warn the guys you're coming with us."

Shinji flinched. "Us…?"

"Yes… the Quintet. I don't have any solo recording programmed for the time being."

"Oh… good; I also have your albums."

"Hmm… yes about that; would you mind terribly if I asked you to keep the CD's and not the boxes. I'm really not that comfortable with those pictures."

"Oh sure of course… don't worry; I'll take care of it." Shinji smiled and quickly grabbed them.

_I actually liked them._

* * *

Shinji scratched his head furiously.

_Go to sleep you idiot… your tired, so sleep; it's already 11 which mean it's 8 in the morning for you. You'll feel sorry when you wake up!_

He sat up on his bed trying to at least relax… he sighed.

"Shinji… are you awake." A voice sounded from the other bed.

Shinji gasped… now he had woken up Kaworu. "I'm so sorry Nagisa… I didn't mean to wake you up."

"No, there's no problem. I was already awake… and it's Kaworu." He sat up and Shinji was able to see his roommates face with the dim light… he wasn't lying; he was wide awake. "I'm having trouble sleeping."

"Me too…" Shinji sighed… at least he had company.

"Well in that case… there's just one thing we can do." The male got up and went to a spot in the room where Shinji couldn't see him.

He heard a bit of noise like something being set up. Kaoru moved again… the sound of something opening, a case perhaps. After a few seconds he heard chords being tempered. Shinji jumped out of his bed and went for the light switch… brightness invaded the small division, reveling Kaoru tempering his violin, a beautifully lacquered instrument made of a rare wood with a long dark neck with bright strings strapped from the simple bottom to the ornamentally sculpted top…

"What are you doing!" Shinji almost yelled.

"I'm going to play the violin… it helps me relax." Kaworu spoke so matter-o-factly it got Shinji off guard.

"I can see that… but you're going to wake everyone else. The room isn't soundproof…"

"Actually… it is."

"What do you mean!" Shinji browed, not quite believing what he had just heard.

"Well… this is the sixth floor. This is the floor reserved for high class students of non-keyboard instruments. We're the only ones who can carry our instruments therefore we can study anywhere; and since there are a limited number of study rooms available, they've turned our rooms into private study room that only we can use. It's quite a good idea… and since it's soundproof we can play at anytime."

"Wow… that's great. Then I guess you can play if it makes you feel more comfortable." Shinji did his best to hide the thrill of Kaworu giving him a private performance.

"Thank you…" He was about to start with his bow graciously lifted, ready to swing when he paused for a moment and turned around facing Shinji with a mischievous smile. "…would you care to join me?"

Shinji widened his eyes as reality gave a triple summersault right in front of his eyes. He repeated the words in his mind just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Then he tried to gain control of his nerves, _no leaping_; then he got control of his voice; _no screaming enthusiastically_… he gulped. "Are you sure you don't mind?" His voice came out flimsy.

"Of course not… would you do me the honor?"

Shinji blushed… he tried to get over the fact that his idol was asking him to play with him; didn't quite work out. He acted quickly going for his cello case, a sturdy black one with a few locks to keep it closed. He opened it and took out his cello. It was a cheap model, the ones made in factories, serial model with cheap wood and little work on the red varnish; the chords needed replacement badly and then there was the bow… almost broken and with a simple hold. Although it didn't matter much to the sound, Shinji was embarrassed when he had to play with it in front of people… this was one of those cases. In his agitation for playing with Kaworu, he had forgotten about it and now it was too late; the grey-haired boy had already seen it.

"Are you ready? Bring your cello here." To his surprise Kaworu didn't react to his poorly treated instrument and mildly assumed a kind of lazy yet strict stance. It was like he had something in his muscles that made him look always so dashing. Shinji shrugged at the thought, not knowing where it had come from and advanced to sit next to Kaworu, cello between his legs.

The taller male had already tempered his violin so he simply gave Shinji a note. The boy proceeded to tune each chord to the sound and finished with a small arpeggio. He tightened the strings in his bow and looked Kaworu expectantly. "What are we playing by the way?"

"One of Handel's violin sonata… in A major…"

"Oh… I never played it. I'm not sure my sight playing is that good."

"Don't worry… it's not that hard. Besides… it will be fun. I have to admit I haven't played this in a long time."

Shinji gave a quick inspection at the first bars of the sheet in the stand… it didn't look drastically complicated. The usual base line with the important notes to establish the melodic background… the blue eyed boy looked at Kaworu and gave him an affirmative signal. Kaworu smiled at him, his red-wine eyes piercing his own… Shinji felt awkward, it was strangely taken back at the strong visual contact. He wasn't able to dwell on the matter for very long as Kaworu commenced playing the first few solo bars and he was forced to concentrate on his entrance.

Kaworu had been lying… although the first few bars were simple melodic tones, the piece quickly revealed itself to be a two part play in which the base was occasionally given solo moments that required some technical dexterity and clear sound… definitely something not meant for sight-playing. Yet Shinji played the piece calmly, entering a semi hypnotic state focusing on his line and always keeping an ear out for Kaworu to make sure he was playing it in time. So engrossed was he with playing that he didn't notice the intent and somewhat baffled look that Kaworu was giving him as the kept playing…

* * *

The rooms weren't that soundproof… if someone pressed his ears against the walls he would be able to hear perfectly what was happening on the other side (that was the problem with soundproof material… it does not mute the sound, it simply concentrates it not allowing it to spread). And right now… inside room 628, a certain blonde figure was mildly listening to everything that was being done inside the adjacent compartment.

"Trowa… I really have to talk with Kaworu. He's not behaving properly."

The other figure in the room, the one lying in bed with a book on his hands, browed at his companion. "Although I feel it is not your problem what Kaworu does and that I know as a fact that he would probably kill you in a very original way if he found out that you are always eavesdropping… what exactly do you mean Quatre?"

"Well… you know how he is. He's testing Shinji… making him play that sonata at first sight. I don't like it; he should be less categorical about people."

"Can you blame him?" He turned a page in his book, doing his best not to seem too interested. "But anyway… how's he doing?"

"Who…?"

"Shinji… is he responding well to the test?"

Quatre smiled. "That's what's so amazing… he's pulled off brilliantly. I don't think you would notice he's playing for the very first time… and the play is not that easy, mind you."

The brown haired man gave a small chortle. "Good… the headmaster would not be raving about the boy if he hadn't a good reason. Since he's doing so well, you could stop worrying."

"Guess so… I just hope they get along. Kaworu can be..."

"Quatre…"

"Yes…?"

"I want to sleep! They'll be fine… Shinji looks like an alright person and Kaworu is able to be great with people. And they're off to a good start; Shinji already knows us and you remember how Kaworu reacted to his recording. He always gets along with talent; it was what got him into trouble in the first place."

That brought the small Arabian to silence as he rested himself on his bed. He sighed and spoke with a hint of frustration. "Yes, you're right… I shouldn't worry that much. I'd probably make it worse."

"I wouldn't go that far… I know how you need to feel you're prepared for anything. Perhaps they need a little help to establish a good friendship."

Quatre chuckled and nodded. "Hmm… a little help would be a good thing."

"Precisely… little…" Trowa set his book on the bed table and turned off his light. He arranged himself on the sheets wrapping his arms around the blonde boy. They kissed affectionately and nuzzled in each others welcoming bodies.

"Goodnight my precious gem." Quatre rested his head on the other male's chest laying a chaste kiss on the skin.

"Goodnight love."

* * *

The final chords rebounded on the walls. Shinji breathed deeply and stretched his back… resting his bow on the stand in front of him. He looked at Kaworu who was placidly smiling at him with a relaxed expression. Shinji blushed but it was too late to look away. Kaworu spoke cheerfully.

"That was wonderful… you're really talented. You act as if the cello was as simple to play as a little child's toy."

Shinji's blush became stronger, rosy cheeks turning crimson, and babbled. "T-Thank you… I wasn't that good."

Kaworu looked even happier… the younger male felt the sudden urge to scratch his back and look away. "Nonsense… it was really a pleasure playing with you, and a discovery as well." He set his violin on the case delicately and stretched his muscles… Shinji found himself strangely perplexed at his roommate's body but quickly resumed to setting his own instrument on the case. He shrugged…

_That was weird… anyway… it was great. Nagisa-kun is really… nice… he's nice._

"I hope we can do this again sometime soon… and since we're roommates I guess we'll have lots of chances." Kaworu interrupted Shinji's self-confronting.

"Yes… I hope so as well." He went to his bed and pulled the sheets over him welcoming the snug warmth. "Goodnight Kaworu."

"Oyasumi Shinji-kun… I hope you like Haïa."

Shinji nodded to himself. He relaxed into the soft fabric of his bed and contemplated a little corner of his mind named "Wild fantasies list"; he scratched off the headings "Meet Nagisa Kaworu" and "Play with Nagisa Kaworu". He fell to a comfortable sleep in the middle of his thoughts. Unbeknownst to him, his subconscious added a few more lines to the list…

* * *

George Frideric Handel (1685-1795) was known to the British as the "Dear and cherished Britton". Born in Germany, it was in Britain that Handel found his fame. His German/Italian style of composing granted him the direction of the Convent Garden Opera (for which he also composed operas) and a huge fortune. But his money maker was his chamber music and sonatas that were sold in prints on the streets and bought by most mid-class families.

The Violin sonata in A major was on of his most famous, but it also reveals a dark secret of the composer. He liked to repeat himself… a lot; so when he found that people liked it so much e rewrote exactly for an oboe sonata, a recorder one, a flute one, a viola sonata, as an aria for his operas and as a piece for his Cantatas. Handel was a true merchandiser of the Baroque epoch… he composed well and interestingly again, again and again…

Oh my… look! A review button.


	5. Good morning

**Author's note: **Gosh… it's taking me some time to update this. Gome… I'm just very very busy.

As you might have noted (if you haven't what's taking you) this fiction depicts male x male relationships… but since it has become a bit tiring for me to always write the same warning, I'll stick with the usual shonen-ai warning… I will of course warn when there is a certain escalation in the maturity of the contents, although it shouldn't be necessary since I've rated this as an M fiction.

Also, prepare yourselves because here comes the second addition to this crossover… drums please.

**Disclaimer: **Guess there isn't much I can do to avoid this… oh well. The characters in this fiction do not belong to me and I make no profit whatsoever of this.

**Warning**: Shonen-ai

**

* * *

Chapter 5**

**Good morning ("21 September, 2017, Friday")**

_**All' arme si accesi guerrieri- Alessandro Scarlatti (aria from the oratorio Pace)**_

The sun had already risen a few minutes ago and the gardens of the Institute had already started showing traces of the summer that had gone by. Leaves were slowly turning to a lighter tone of green (which would soon be yellow); the flowers gracefully shed of their petals and began to ripen into fruits; the nests of birds once filled with high pitched chirping from the offspring were now filled with small birds making their first experimental flights. The wind blew in unpredictable gusts lifting the few leaves that had already fallen from the high branches… the scent of moist ground and dried petals journeyed across the winds of the new Fall.

Of course none of this mattered to the sleeping figure of Shinji, comfortably lying inside his warm bed paying no heed to the newly arrived season that begged his presence for a brand new start. Sometimes he would turn in his sleep, a small smile planted on his calm face. The shutters were closed so only a few stray beads of light would enter the, otherwise, pitch dark room… and then the alarm started ringing in a furious dingle making Shinji jump out of bed and turn it off.

He looked to the bed on the other side of the room, afraid he had woken up his roommate; the classes would only begin the week after so there was no need to wake Kaworu up just because Shinji had the sudden urge to look around and see how the school was like before it was crowded.

"It's nice of you to care for my comfort… but I was already awake."

Shinji jumped with a yelp and found Kaworu coming out of the bathroom door, draped in nothing but a towel around his waist with bare chest, his hair still dripping with water. Shinji stared dazedly, still half asleep. The older male smiled as he used the towel on his hand to dry his hair.

"I always get up early; can't seem to find a good reason to stay in bed. The shower is free and you still have hot water… you should hurry if you don't want to freeze. One of the problems of being on the last floor I suppose… hot water; first come first serve."

Shinji finally woke up completely and found, to his embarrassment, he had been tracing a small drop of water that had been sliding down Kaworu's slim abdomen making the red eyed male look a bit uncomfortable with Shinji's fixation. The younger male got up in an instant, his cheeks ruby red and nodded.

"Thank you Nagisa-kun…"

Kaworu shushed the startled boy with a long finger closing his lips together… Shinji's skin burned with embarrassment. Kaworu gaped amusingly at his red complexion with a playful smile on his mouth.

"Kaworu… Ka-wo-ru… ok Shinji?"

The flustered male merely nodded… the hair on the back of his neck on edge; blue eyes open widely at the disturbing finger. He wasn't used to this kind of closeness and it felt awkward, uncomfortable even. Kaworu removed his index from Shinji's quivering lips and pointed to the door behind him.

"Anyway… you better get going if you want the chance to have a hot bath."

"Oh, I suppose I will; thank you…" Shinji paused at the hard stare the semi-nude male gave him. "… K-Kaworu-kun…"

Kaworu's smile widened to a fully contempt grin making the dark haired boy's stomach quiver strangely… it was like there had been cocoons stashed in his stomach and they had suddenly burst into a bluster of butterflies. He got inside the small bathroom not wishing to take any more part in the terribly embarrassing moment leaving a smiling Kaworu behind him.

Shinji closed the door and heaved a sigh. He stretched while looking around his surroundings… it wasn't big but still logged a sink with a small medication cabinet, a toilet, a towel stand and a small bathtub with a shower. The lingering smell of sweet shampoo confirmed that Kaworu had been having a shower; the blue eyed boy inhaled sharply, enjoying the scent of his roommate's bath lotion. He placed the towel he had taken in a hurry in his attempt at escape from the awkward situation and quickly took off his clothes.

He turned on the shower to let the water warm up before he entered the tub. While outside, he stretched his body and yawned… shivers ran down the male's spine; it was actually cold in the bathroom. Shinji wasn't used to it being this cold… especially on the first day of fall; this was almost as cold as the peak of winter back in Japan.

_Does it get even colder in the winter?_

Not wishing to find out, he quickly jumped into the warm steam that had formed inside the bath area. The water cascaded down his figure relaxing each one of his muscles and warming the chilly skin of his body. Shinji sighed letting the vapor fill his lungs clearing out his breath… he enjoyed the feeling of the steam caressing his skin and the way the tips of his fingers and hair dripped as if he was a part of an ancient Greek fountain. He sighed relaxingly and bent to grab the shampoo bottle and squirted some of the lotion on to his hands starting a bit of foam.

KNOCK

Shinji jumped with surprise, his hands in the midst of rinsing his head. Fingers still entwined in his hair, he peered from the other side of the tub's curtain at the door and asked meekly.

"Hmm… yes?"

"Shinji-kun…" Kaworu's voice sounded from the other side of the door. "Are you going downstairs for breakfast after your bath…?"

"Y-Yes, why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to know… I guess I'll wait for you. It's always better to eat accompanied." A small chuckle was heard at the end of the sentence.

"No… Kaworu… you mustn't…" Shinji was of a completely different opinion. "I mean… I may take a while. I don't want to make you wait; you must be hungry."

"No really… it's no problem at all. I insist, dinner was very enjoyable with you and repeating a meal sounds promising."

"But I…" Shinji considered his options. It didn't seem older male was going to change his mind and it was just possible that he might just feel it necessary to express his opinion face to face (and the idea of Kaworu walking in and find him naked was not something Shinji considered in any way acceptable). Kaworu had been right; dinner had been very good and it was nice to be able to talk to him… although there was always the uncomfortable fluttering in his stomach when he smiled in that strange way he did. And in the end; it was just a breakfast… what could happen?

"Shinji-kun… are you there?"

"Hmm… oh yes, I'm here!" Shinji exclaimed when he saw the door handle start to turn. "I guess we could have breakfast together. If you don't mind waiting for a little while longer while I finish bathing."

"I don't mind waiting for you… time doesn't really matter."

Shinji blushed hotly and was very glad there was no one there to see him. He clenched his wavering stomach and fought the smile that had quickly drawn on his lips. He swiftly resumed taking his bath as he heard footsteps outside…

* * *

"Good… you're ready." Shinji exited the bathroom fully clad (he had brought the clothes with him inside the bathroom) in a pair of brown trousers and a salmon shirt. He was used to have a school uniform but it seemed the Institute had a very open view to any kind of clothing… which gave him the strange and discomforting feeling that he was always wearing the wrong thing. Yet seeing that Kaworu had chosen a very similar outfit was quite a burden off his shoulders.

The older male got up. "Shall we go… have your key with you?" Shinji nodded.

"Are you sure that breakfast is served at this time? I mean… classes haven't even started and it's a bit early."

That resulted in a chuckle from the older male. "I can see you're not used to this kind of school. There's a small bar that's almost always open… and even if it's closed there are some vending machines that serve a good coffee and some cakes or sandwiches. And the student's lounge is always available… if we're lucky we'll have it all to ourselves."

"Have what to ourselves…?"

Kaworu smiled. "The piano of course… it was a great idea to bring one of the Steinways to the lounge. After all… we're the ones who use it."

"Oh…" Shinji bent his head down. "… but I don't know how to play the piano."

"Didn't you get keyboard lessons in the school where you were?" Kaworu sighed as Shinji shook his head in denial "Well… no matter; you're going to start them here and I'm sure you are a quick learner. And I can always help…"

Shinji nodded but was already thinking of a plausible excuse to avoid Kaworu's tutoring… he didn't quite like the way he reacted to the older male and it was just a matter of time before he did something stupid. It was probably the fascination of meeting his idol… if not then he was simply uncomfortable to be with.

The blue eyed boy turned the door handle and opened the door… a waft of frigid air blew through the thin fabric of his clothing making the young man shut the door automatically, shivering like a sick person. Kaworu's laughter woke him from his slight hypothermia… he turned and was met with an arm stretched out to him holding a jacket. Shinji accepted the extra garment and quickly wore it warding the low temperature.

"Thank you… didn't expect it to be this cold."

Kaworu smirked as he finished putting on his own jacket "You really aren't used to this kind of school… the rooms are heated. And don't expect it to be any warmer in the morning from now on… for six months at least."

Shinji nodded and opened the door yet again… the cold wind was still blowing but at least the air did not cut against his skin now that he had added a new layer of protection. The halls of the dormitories that had once been filled with people accommodating themselves to the room, was now silent. They walked a few steps and Shinji stopped in front of the elevator's metallic door.

"Are you sure you don't want to go down the stairs?" Kaworu asked a few steps away from him.

Shinji nodded sternly; the red eyed male simply shrugged and waited while he pressed the button. A few seconds passed before the cabin stopped in front of them. They entered the rather cramped space and descended to the bottom floor. The moment they exited the lift they were greeted with loud piano harmonics. Kaworu frowned and sighed with a small pout on his lips.

"Guess we were a bit too late."

"But it's only a quarter past seven… who could be playing at this hour?"

The older male chuckled. "I think I can guess"

As they walked into the students' lounge Shinji was surprise to find sitting on the piano the big fringed male, Trowa placidly playing scales and standing by the piano was Quatre warming his voice with quick and well timbered exercises, singing notes he never thought a man could reach. Kaworu chuckled looking at his roommate's flabbergasted expression. The exercises went on for a while, Trowa helping Quatre get the right pitch until the moment the blonde reached a top A (author's note: for those of you who do not understand I'll put it simply: a top A is a note that normally only high-pitched feminine voices can reach) making Shinji gasp.

With that Quatre became aware of their presence and turned, his green eyes fixed on Shinji's blue ones… but instead of stopping, the Arabian singer simply smiled and took a deep breath inflating his chest and abdomen to almost double the size it had been. The sound that came out of his throat was indescribable… a series of thrills, fast scales and ornamentations that seemed to put the rest of the world to silence finishing on an ever so clear top B (note a tone higher than A and that as a rule only a soprano could intone) that grew to a huge sound and then slowly muting in an almost imperceptible sigh. Shinji was left speechless before the beautiful demonstration the smiling blonde gave him… it was only after a few seconds he remembered to inhale.

"Showoff…" Kaworu chuckled.

Quatre responded with a snicker. "I thought we were all showoffs Kaworu."

Trowa kept sitting by the piano, a smile planted on his face. The smaller male approached the newly arrived pair with a shining grin drawn on his petite lips and greeted them. Shinji just gazed… he had heard about Quatre's fabulous voice and he had even listened to his recordings; he had always been impressed but what he had witnessed… was almost godly. The counter-tenor (author's note: counter-tenor is the name you give to a man who sings in a register similar to feminine voices) greeted them both.

"Good to see you again Shinji. So you came for breakfast or did Kaworu wake you up with his early habits?"

"Look who's talking… I'm not the one already up and singing." Kaworu joked with a wide grin.

"It was nothing like that… I woke up on my own. I wanted to take a look around school before classes started."

"And I'm going to give him a little tour." The red eyed male intervened, surprising Shinji. "But first we'll treat ourselves to some coffee and breakfast."

"Good… we'll come with you."

Trowa joined the group as they occupied on of the tables sitting on the comfortable chairs. Already sited, the long fringed man got up and walked to the open bar.

"You know what I like to have…" Quatre begged in sweet tone and Trowa nodded as he walked away to fetch them breakfast.

Shinji and Kaworu got up at the same time but Kaworu stopped Shinji in mid-lift making him sit down again. "I can get you breakfast if you like Shinji."

The blue eyed teenager blushed hotly at the proposition. "But you don't know what I want… there really is no need." He tried to get up but Kaworu's hand restrained him once more.

"Trust me… I'm good at guessing people's tastes."

Shinji was left speechless as Kaworu walked away to join Trowa at the bar, his face reddened as it was becoming more and more usual. The young boy looked at the other person sited on the table…. Quatre was staring at the grey haired youth with an extremely amused expression on his face, almost as if containing a laugh.

"What is it Quatre?" He asked with the slightest hint of suspicion.

The Arabian looked at Shinji and a mere glance at his rosier than usual cheeks stretched his amused grin even further making the cellist uncomfortable.

"It's nothing Shinji… I was just thinking about something interesting."

_Very interesting indeed…_

* * *

And again Kaworu had been right… he truly had a talent for guessing people's tastes. Although Shinji was sure he would have been thankful for anything that the grey haired male would bring him; Kaworu had got him an almost perfect breakfast… a warm chocolate muffin, a toast with butter (without salt, which made it even more amazing), grapes and, to achieve the peek of perfection, warm milk with a mix of coffee and powdered chocolate with a sweet cream topping. Shinji could really get used to waking up to this every morning… although he had the slight suspicion that the drink wasn't from the automatic vendors; it was just too good to be produced in a machine.

Quatre was having warmed milk with honey ("for the voice" he had commented), hot apple mousse and an omelet, which he was trying to feed Trowa who refused, happy with his simple black coffee (without sugar which sent shivers up Shinji's spine) and apple muffin with raisins. In Shinji's point of view Quatre and Trowa were exceptionally close for simple friends or roommates which made it extremely obvious what exactly they were to each other… although Shinji could be a bit daft about that sort of things, even something this direct could not escape him. The way they looked at each other, how every seemingly innocent action ended coincidentally with them touching hands or the ever so willing almost servant-like way Trowa treated the blonde Arabian.

"Oh, come on… just this bit! It's good for you… you can't expect to only go on that cake and your coffee!" Quatre lunged onto Trowa with a forkful of eggs in yet another desperate attempt to make the long fringed male eat something other than his modest breakfast.

The older male got up avoiding with uneasy steps the continuous tries of the blonde by his side. "I'm perfectly fine with what I'm having. Now get back on your sit or you'll make us t… AH!"

Both males tripped and fell to the ground, Quatre on top of Trowa… who threw his arms around his waist in what appeared to be a semi-automatic, protective fashion; they stayed like that on the floor for a few seconds. Shinji sighed as he looked at the pair; in a scale of ten for bluntness… they reached eleven. The blue eyed male looked at the figure eating at his side… Kaworu was looking directly at him and when their eyes met he grinned and nodded in an understanding way bringing a smile (and the usual rosy tone) to his face.

Shinji tried to make conversation making all effort not to trip on his own words. "You really have a talent for guessing people's tastes."

"I told you…" He chuckled.

"Yes, I know you told me. But this is a bit beyond what I was expecting… you got everything right, even the drink… h-how did you guess that?"

"Well… I simply deducted you like things when they're sweet."

Shinji's mouth went wide open. "T-That's amazing… how did…?"

"Ah… that, well; you look like an extremely sweet…"

Shinji lowered his head with embarrassment and brought his hands to his forehead rubbing it gently, doing the utmost to lighten up. That diversion did not go well… and to make it worse Quatre, who was now sitting at the table again, started to giggle at the comment interrupting Kaworu in mid-speech. The Arabian received an icy, sharp crimson gaze from Kaworu who did not seem that up for good humor anymore. Quatre stopped his snickering and looked back at Trowa who was also looking dead seriously. The blonde youth sighed and pouted, taking another spoonful of apple mousse.

Shinji quickly finished his meal and got up trying to get away from the embarrassing situation. "I'll be going… I really want to see how the school is. There's no need for you to get up… I'm just not in the mood for long meals since I have so much to explore. We'll see each later ok…"

"Nonsense Shinji…" Kaworu stopped Shinji the moment he started to leave them and with a surprisingly big gulp he finished the cappuccino he had been having he got up. "Don't forget I'm giving you a tour." He shot one final glare at Quatre before he skipped to join his young roommate.

The moment both of them had left the room Quatre brought his chair closer to Trowa with an excited expression. "Did you notice the same thing I did?"

Trowa maintained an uninterested face and took a long sip from his cup. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh yes you do… the way Kaworu is acting."

"He's nice to people… you know that." he spoke like cold water trying to divert the Arabian from his interest.

"I know he's nice to people… but this was different. Oh come on… "you look like an extremely sweet"… you know very well what I'm talking about."

"No I don't" Trowa cut the blue eyed youth short.

"And what about the way Shinji was blushing all the time…"

"From what I was able to see, Shinji looks like a person that doesn't really feel comfortable with other people… he doesn't know how to deal them."

_A bit like Kaworu... _He added, but interiorly, not wishing to give his companion anymore string to pull.

"One thing is not dealing with people… what I saw was someone looking at another's ass while they offer themselves to get them breakfast and gets you the perfect meal."

"You really shouldn't look at my ass Quatre when I'm not expecting… if you want you can ask you know; you have that right."

The blonde slapped the brown haired male on the hand. "I wasn't talking about you… you know what I mean."

"No, I don't… now stop it…"

"But they…"

"No."

"But I…"

"No!"

"And what about the way…?"

Quatre was no longer able to speak since his mouth was covered with Trowa's own. It was not a cold, restraining kiss; it was actually very warm and loving… yet the message was clear: "this conversation is over; otherwise this will be the last one you'll get for a while". Parting their lips, Quatre resumed his seat and took a large spoonful of apple mousse, a pout visible, while Trowa kept sipping his bitter drink in a mild, indifferent way.

A few seconds passed before the Arabian could not contain it any longer and gave one last attempt at seizing his companion's attention by sitting on top of the table and taking old of Trowa's coffee mug. The older male looked up with a bored expression if he had been expecting it all along. Quatre frowned and sighed.

"I don't know why you're acting like this… but you can't deny it even you saw it. That little glint in Kaworu's eyes… you know what it means."

"Yes, Quatre… I know precisely what it means." Trowa's response came abruptly.

The blonde smiled; the shine of victory reflecting on his eyes… but before he could say anything…

"But one thing I do remember is the last time I saw that glint. And the way we tried to interfere with that… and the way it turned out."

You almost couldn't make out how much time it took for Quatre's face to change from victorious to outright depressed. He looked down like a child who knew he had done something terrible. He sighed with a hint of sulk… Trowa quickly came closer to him caressing his hair in gentle assurance.

"Please… don't be like that. I'm not in anyway blaming you for what happened; but the truth is that interference might lead to that situation again. If it must happen, it will happen… but we should let things progress on their own." He paused for a bit… and added "Yet, that doesn't mean I agree with you about them two."

That seemed to spur a reaction from the small Arabian… he looked up at the young Russian with a vicious and certain look and smiled.

"Oh, you'll see, just wait… there are some things that are too obvious." and with that he kissed his companion with puckish lips.

Trowa smiled at him. "Speaking of obvious… how much did you want Shinji to find out about our relationship?"

Quatre chuckled. "Enough…"

* * *

"So basically the school is divided in four sections… three of them are for the explicit use of the students and staff while the other is dedicated to outsiders where the concert rooms, group chambers and the museum are located."

The grey haired youth walked placidly across the halls of the school as he explained with the clearness of a gifted spokesman every detail he might find interesting for Shinji to know. The younger male walked beside him with an awestruck expression absorbing every word that came from Kaworu's mouth; what surprised him the most was the way he himself had become so enthralled in the red eyed male's speech. They had already visited the various grounds of the school and two of the buildings that made up the complex of the school. At the moment they were visiting the final stop of the guided tour, improvised by Kaworu.

"As for our part of the Conservatory, it is composed of three buildings." Nagisa kept talking, sensing the interest in Shinji's face. "One of them, the dormitories where we sleep, eat and, in our case, study. The second, and in my opinion the most important, the Early Music department, which was the first pavilion we visited; it's there that we have the chamber classes, the harpsichord and organ study rooms and most of the instrument classes. After all, this Conservatoire is known for its interpreters of the Ancient Music. You'll be having classes there…"

"Yes… let me just check." Shinji's hand came to his pocket where he retrieved a small folded paper. "Yes, you're right… my cello classes are in that building. But I don't understand a few things."

"Hmm…" Kaworu stopped his speech and came closer to Shinji to look at his schedule. "… what is it you don't understand?"

"Well… the schedule says that Monday I have cello classes in the Early Music building. But Tuesday I have them in this building. And what's strange is that Thursday I have them here and also in the other building. Why can't I have them all in one building?"

Kaworu smiled. "That's because you play the cello… your instrument is very old."

The younger man blushed. "Well I know it's a bit worn off… but I don't have enough money to buy a new one."

Kaworu almost choked with laughter, leaning on his stomach and trying not to fall to the ground with the effort to stand on two feet, while squirming like a mad man.

"What did I say?" Shinji's glowed at the unexpected response.

"Oh god… Shinji, you're too much…" Kaworu wiped off a few tears but quickly stopped laughing, seeing the somewhat hurt expression on his roommate's face. "I'm sorry."

Kaworu's hand was placed on Shinji's head softly tousling his hair. While that did make the dark haired boy's expression change it did not take away the red colour lodged on its cheeks. It did in fact deepen it and Shinji did stiffen with the contact, his eyes swelling to double their size… yes, it was no longer saddened, more like god-forsakenly embarrassed. Sensing this Kaworu also blushed, a strange colour for his face, and quickly took his hand from the younger male's head.

"Hmm… let me explain; when I said that your instrument was very old, I meant historically speaking. The cello has existed since the first centuries of the history of erudite music… which means its existence is about seven hundred years old." His methodical way of speaking diverted their attention from the previous situation. "Therefore, many compositors of the Early Age composed for it… so it's normal for you to have classes in the Early Music building. But, unlike many instrument of that time like the _violla da gamba,_ your instrument survived the classical and romantic period without becoming obsolete. So you have many composers that, throughout the centuries have always been composing for your instrument."

"Oh… you're right. I have lots of scores from every century. Never thought about it that way…"

Kaworu smiled, seeing how easily Shinji had understood everything he had told him. It was strange to find someone who understood him so well… he continued. "So it's only natural that you have some of your classes in this building since it is devoted to the more advanced stages of music history. Actually… only three instruments have classes here."

"Really, which of them…?"

Kaworu smiled and pointed at him. "Cello…" pointed at himself "…violin…" and then pointed at his throat. "… and voice."

"Oh… so Quatre has classes in both buildings as well."

"Hmm… no; he only has classes in the other building since his voice is a bit out of the ordinary."

"And then some…" Shinji commented making both males share a small chuckle.

"Well anyway…" he turned to continue walking down the hall "… we should continue with our tour."

He instantly froze his eyes locked on the small plank hanging from the ceiling. Shinji did not notice Kaworu's worried expression and looked up as well where he read "Piano Section".

"Oh… I've been here yesterday."

"Y-yes… since you have then I guess I should leave you since there isn't much more to see." The red eyed youth slowly started to back away as if frightened by something.

"Oh, do you think so? I was hoping we could just talk for a little…"

"I'm sorry Shinji… but I have things to do. I'll see you later, 'k?"

And with that Kaworu was steadily walking away, almost running for the exit of the building. Shinji turned to try and call out the young man, feeling there was something wrong but he was already to far away. He began to follow him…

"Shinji… there you are!"

The dark haired boy turned around and smiled.

* * *

"You'll never guess who I just met Rei… we were just walking around here when you came round."

"Later Shinji…" The blue haired girls cut him off, knowing only too well what happened when you allowed Shinji to continue in one of his "you'll never guess" dialogues. Normally you would end up discussing why the sky was blue, know way too much about Shinji's phobias and ended up, as Shinji had stated, never guessing.

"Rei, why are we walking so fast?" He spoke trying to keep up with the speeding female.

"Oh… I just don't want to miss them."

"Miss who…?" Shinji browed at his friend's strange explanation. "Am I supposed to know someone here?"

"No…" She continued walking, never looking back. "You are supposed to be meeting them. Remember, I told you I wanted you to meet a person I knew."

"Oh… you want me to meet that "friend" of yours, eh?"

"Yes I do. And if you dare pronounce the word "friend" in that way ever again when speaking about him, so help me Shinji, I'll show you why most people are afraid of me in this school. It's something I really don't feel like doing right now."

"Alright, alright… jeez, a guy can't have any fun around here."

"No, you really can't." She suddenly stopped in front of a door labelled "Piano section/ 12", almost causing Shinji to bump into her. "But that doesn't matter now… we're here"

"Ok… I still don't understand why you're so thrilled."

"Well… it's not everyday I get my two bestfriends to meet each other."

Shinji could hear voices coming from the other side of the room… and they didn't seem as thrilled as Ayanami.

"_You call that moving! I've seen sloths more theatrical than you!"_

"_Shut up… it's supposed to be a sober piece USURATONKACHI!"_

Rei opened the door, revealing two figures standing next to a piano. One of them, male with golden blonde hair and his face slowly turning blue, was being chocked by the other one, also male with striking greyish eyes and black hair. The girl smiled at the two as if cold blooded murder was the most natural thing in the world.

"Shinji-kun…I want you to meet Naruto and, my great friend Sasuke."

Both figures stopped with their dispute and looked over to Shinji. The boy smiled a bit scared at the possibility of being engaged in their little, life-threatening brawl. He waved his hand, trying not to seem bothered (and failing utterly).

"H-hajimemashite…?"

**

* * *

Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725) was the great vocal composer of the Neapolitan era. His work is inspired but more than that, it requires great virtuosity for it to be sung properly. It was thanks to him that the second period of the Italian Baroque started with his technical novelties and expert taste. But Scarlatti was also a revolutionary; angered by the Pope's decision to abolish opera (the great vocal genre of the time), he wrote Oratorios (kind of like an opera but without acting and normally related with religious themes) of an operatic genre and themes that did not quite fit the canons of the church in order to escape the Inquisition's censure.**

In the aria _All arme si accesi guerrieri _("attention fierce warriors") the character the represents Pace (peace) alerts the angered people of Jerusalem that they must fight if they truly want to reach peace... it is Scarlatti's way of telling people to stand up for their beliefs. What is so amazing about the piece is that even though it is obviously written out for a very high-pitched feminine voice, the character of Pace is supposed to be played by a man… I'll explain this later since it is relevant to the rest of the story.

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I love reviews (winks). 


	6. First classes

**A/N: **I'm so sorry it took me such a long time to update this. I'll explain… I started this story all of a sudden which left me with a terrible problem: I didn't have a clue about the plot. Since it's vital for me to have a well defined plot (otherwise things just don't make sense) I decided to stop writing until I had figured it out. As you can see it took me some time… but everything's going to change now so, on with the fiction (new character will be coming up in this chapter, and one of them is hidden).

**Disclaimer: **Oh joy, I get to say that none of the characters belong to me.

**Warning: **If you reached so far you already know what this fic's about… yep, boys making out big time (but not yet, hehe)

**

* * *

Chapter 6**

**First classes (24 September, 2017, Monday)**

_**Pulcinella (Ballet in one act); Ouverture: allegro moderato- Igor Stravinsky**_

Ever experienced that strange feeling that you're just dying for the next day to come and when you're asleep the slightest little thing will wake you up so you can start the day as quickly as possible?

Well, the same thing happened to Shinji, and strangely enough, on a Monday morning.

It was the alarm clock that woke him up… and for one day, that insistent teeth-grinding ring, sounded like the most beautiful of choruses. His eyes opened as quickly as possible as if the time they were shut was nothing but a blink. Before the ringing could continue his hand descended on the off switch bringing silence to the room. Without even yawning Shinji rose to his feet and looked around; Kaworu wasn't there anymore, the other bed in the room open and empty.

Not wasting any time, Shinji went inside the bathroom and turned on the shower pleased to see there was still hot water as the steam began to rise from the stall. Taking as little time possible to get undressed and jumping into the stream of warm water (knowing full well how cold the air was) he proceeded to clean himself as thoroughly and quickly as possible. It took him less the fifteen minutes to get washed and soon enough he was coming out of the bathroom, towel around his waist and going to fetch some clothes from the wardrobe. He wasn't that selective and ended up with a very plain set of brown trousers, grey shirt and dark blue sweater.

Making sure he had everything prepared he packed his schoolbag, grabbed his cello case and went for the door. But, just when he was about to open it, he noticed a small sheet of paper on the small table besides the door. He dropped the case he was holding, took the paper in his hands and read it.

_Hope you have a perfect first day of school. - Kaworu_

Shinji smiled… he was sure it was going to be perfect.

And he was off for his classes. But first… he had to take breakfast.

* * *

Shinji gulped as he saw the cafeteria… it was completely filled with people, some of them eating, some of them talking and others seemingly trying to hurry their way out of the room carrying either instruments or sheets. The last few days Shinji had spent, classes hadn't started yet, so he had never quite got the chance to see how truly crowded the cafeteria could be. But now that he looked around he could truly see how many students the Institute had.

_And these are just the ones sleeping here. _He thought to himself.

He made his way to the bar and picked up a tray, cello in hand, as he waited in the small waiting line. It didn't take him too long to get his food (the same he usually had since he started eating there).

_Now to get a seat._

Shinji scouted the area looking for an open spot… it was actually very easy to find. He was glad to see Rei placidly munching on a piece of toast intently looking at nothing. As he had expected from the blue haired girl, there was no one sitting next to her as if she let out a strange aura. He smiled and made his way to sit next to her.

He started feeling uncomfortable noticing some people were looking at him as he approached Rei. There were many people who stared in disbelief as he walked up to the female. Shinji tried to pretend it was nothing and finally sat down in front of his friend.

"Good morning Rei!"

Suddenly the nearby space became silent some people gasping other just staring completely mute. Rei looked up, red eyes meeting Shinji's blue ones and a smile quickly came to her face.

"Hi Shinji, sleep well?"

Shinji nodded and felt awkward as everyone's attention centred on a normal morning greeting. Ayanami sent a cold stare around her warding off all attention. She sighed and mumbled something inwardly before starting to talk to Shinji.

"So… ready for you classes?" She asked playfully.

Shinji chuckled as he gave his muffin a first bite tasting the soft chocolaty flavour.

"Yes I am… I just can't wait."

"What is your first class?"

Shinji grabbed his backpack and took out the schedule.

"Cello… on the Early Music building…"

"Oh good… you'll really like the teacher, she's very special."

"I hope so."

"Hey guys… you're already eating. Mind if we join?" the outburst came from a blonde approaching figure with a mischievous expression.

Rei smiled again, this time not drawing any attention from the people around them.

"Naruto, hello… and hello to you too Sasuke, come on and sit."

The grey eyed youth smiled at Rei and sat down, holding what appeared to be a newspaper. Shinji took a quick glance at the first page, surprised to find it written in English.

_The daily Institute_

"Hey… what is that? And why isn't it written in Dutch?"

Sasuke gave him a calm glance and smiled.

"It's supposed to be in English since 80 of the students are foreign. And this…" he pointed at the newspaper "…is the Daily Institute"

"It's the Institute's own private newspaper." Naruto cut Sasuke short making him send a threatening stare at the blonde. "It's run by a couple of girls in here… it's actually nice, but sometimes they get too nosy about people's business."

"If you ask me it's just a silly gossip driven tabloid." Rei said coldly "… I mean, if we want to know how people are doing we ask them, not wait until some silly column decides it's supposed to be known by all of the school."

"You only say that because they said you were too cold in the last concert and made a nasty comment about one of the string quartets." Naruto snickered. "You should have seen it Shinji, the group almost tried to strangle her when they read about it."

_Wow… he really likes trouble. _Shinji thought.

Rei coughed.

"If I can remember, I think most of the public agreed with me. That stupid paper only criticized me because one of the writers was part of that quartet."

"Yeah… I guess you're right." The blonde scratched his head. "Still, it does come in handy when you need to check out when the next concerts will be held."

"There is a poster in the entrance of the Cafeteria with all of the dates written on it." Rei said coldly. "You only read that because you love gossip."

"Actually…" Sasuke spoke, breaking the two from their argument "… it has something in it for you, Shinji."

"Hmm, what is it?"

Sasuke handed him the paper marking the page.

"_The students of the Institute would like to give a warm welcome to the newly arrived students and hope they feel at home as soon as possible. For those of you sleeping here: GET READY TO PARTY! _

_Tonight there will be a student concert held at the hall in the dorms. Everyone, if you want to show people your talent, be it a group or solo act, we're here to listen to it if it's good! Come on come all, nine pm!_

_Good luck to you all!"_

Shinji smiled… perhaps too many exclamation points but it was an extremely nice welcome

"What's this concert?"

"Just a little something they normally make every week. It's a bit of chill out time; people normally use it to show what they are studying or just to have some fun. I like it a lot but tonight I won't be able to come. Have to study."

While talking Shinji absentmindedly looked at the clock in the hall and gasped.

"I'm late… I have to hurry." He said, getting up "See you later."

He waved as he ran for the halls leaving the other three, still eating their breakfast. Naruto turned to the other two.

"He does know that the teachers normally arrive five minutes later, right?"

Sasuke and Rei exchanged glances and both smiled, Rei taking a sip from her cup and Sasuke taking a bite from his toast.

"What…?"

"You're forgetting that Shinji doesn't know his way around the place… he better hurry if he wants to get there on time." Sasuke said, taking another bite.

"If he does get there at on time… knowing Shinji I'd bet he'll be five minutes late."

The three gave a small chuckle and resumed their breakfast.

_

* * *

I'm late, I'm late! Baka, baka, baka!_

Shinji grumbled as he tried to make his way through the somewhat crowded halls of the school. He felt like that damn rabbit from Alice; he just hoped he wouldn't lose his head for this.

_Why do they make maps so hard to read… it's like they want us to get lost._

He sighed as he finally spotted the plank hanging from the ceiling with "Cello section" written on it. He walked a few steps to find his room and it didn't seem like there was anyone inside yet.

_Maybe the teacher is also lost… can't blame anyone for being late with maps like this._

He opened the door going inside. He quickly closed it and begun to open his cello case.

"AND WHY ARE YOU SO LATE?"

Shinji gave a shriek and leaped from where he was, eyes open wide. He stared at the figure of a woman, probably in her thirties, with dashing violet hair and an amused smile. She was wearing a somewhat tight garment, with a small skirt, making good work at exposing her figure. She spoke still smiling.

"Well, at least you have good reflexes. It's something every player should have if you want to react to the unexpected… although the shriek can be a bit deafening."

Shinji tried to say something but was still a little shocked from the sudden welcome. The female began again, seeing no response from the youth.

"So, you're my new student, Shinji… nice to meet you. My name is Misato Katsuragi and I expect you to work hard if you actually want to keep your fingers intact."

She smiled as she spoke confusing Shinji on whether she was serious or not about the fingers. He snapped from his shock and gave a small bow.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Katsuragi."

The woman sighed.

"Do all new students have to be so formal? Jeez… it's like I'm the pope or something. Misato will be fine and no more bowing, it's not the reason why I'm here."

Shinji stood up eyeing the female.

"Very well, Misato-san."

"Hmm… I don't really like the san, makes me sound old, but it will do for now. Getting back on why I'm here." She looked at her clock "You have 1 minute to get your things ready and sit on that chair so I can hear you play something."

Hearing this Shinji quickly began to take his instrument from the case. It wasn't long before he was already seated on the chair in the middle of the classroom. Misato smiled.

"Good… that was 46 seconds. Normally new students take bit more… but you never know when you have to get ready in only a few seconds." She took a glance at Shinji's instrument and made a face. "I think that cello has reached the "firewood" stage by now."

Shinji blushed and looked away, frowning deeply.

"Calm down Shinji… I'm not blaming you or anything. But it is true… I think that cello is more of a burden. I doubt you can truly reach perfection with it. I read you files… I know that is all you can afford for now. So I decided to get the school board to lend you a cello until you get yourself a new one."

The dark haired boy suddenly became ecstatic, his eyes shining.

"Are you serious…? I mean, do I really get a new cello?"

Misato smiled and went to fetch the new instrument… the surface was polished red, the wood well cared for and the strings looked very expensive; not to mention the way it seemed to be much more comfortable. Shinji quickly stood up putting his old instrument down and welcoming the new one to his hands.

_I can't believe this!_

He passed his hand over the wood felling the lean surface and well designed shape. Even the smell of the lacquer was unbelievable, mature but healthy showing how truly good the instrument was. He looked at Misato still smiling.

"Can I really keep this?"

Misato smiled.

_Just like a kid with the toy he always wanted…_

"Until you find a better one, yes…"

Shinji tried not to scream with excitement… still revelling at how good the instrument looked and felt. The violet haired woman cleared he throat.

"Well… are you going to show me what you can do with it or are you going to keep on frisking the damn thing?"

Shinji blushed and quickly sat down preparing himself… bow in hand.

"Sorry about that. What should I play?"

"Anything you like… I just want to get a feel of your personality when playing the instrument."

The boy thought for a few seconds before bringing his bow down on the cello.

_**Cello suite no. 1 in G major- Prelude (Johann Sebastian Bach)**_

Shinji ended the small piece and looked at his bow and cello with a mesmerized look.

"Did I actually do that?"

"Yes you did. That's what happens when you get an instrument good enough for your capacities."

The male looked at his tutor and smiled.

"So… how was it?"

"Well; I can see why you were given the scholarship. If the recording wasn't enough, right now you've convinced me… you have a future in music."

Shinji felt his chest inflate as he heard Misato's comment.

"But…" the woman looked over at him with a serious expression "… we have a lot of work to do, that's for sure. First off… I'd like to know one thing. Who were you playing for?"

Shinji's brow creased at the strange question, not knowing what to say.

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

"When you go on stage in front of people… who do you play for?"

"For the public, of course…"

That sentence earned him a smack on the head.

"No stupid… who in particular, who is the person, who's truly the reason for you playing?"

Again, Shinji felt confused.

"I… I don't know. Who should it be?"

"That's for you to find out and tell me. Now… technically speaking, there are a few things about Bach you must respect if you want to play it correctly. I'm not saying what I heard wasn't good… most students only dream of reaching your stage with your age, but there are things you need to know."

And so began Shinji's first class.

* * *

For the second time that day, Shinji was late. The cello class had probably been one of the best he ever had in his life; Misato was tough to please and was always ready to point out those little things that were missing and you would have never noticed by yourself. The result was Shinji receiving the largest amount of homework he could imagine, but also the feeling that this would be a turning point in his playing.

Unfortunately, they had been so concentrated on the class (at one point they were actually trying to duel each other to see which one of them could play a passage the fastest and without one mistake… Misato obviously won but she said it was the first time any student of hers made her sweat) that they didn't see time passing. So basically when Shinji realized he had three minutes before his music history lesson started.

The class ended with Shinji hurriedly packing his stuff while Misato scribbled down a few notes on a pad she was holding. The last thing she said intrigued Shinji, though:

"_I liked this class… made me want to change a few of my plans. Prepare yourself… I'm cooking up something for the future. And here's your homework!"_

Shinji didn't have time to ask what she meant so he merely took the long list and dashed leaving his teacher snickering. The first thing the male did when he was out of the classroom was reach for his school map and figure out where his next class was being held.

_Darn it… I have to change buildings._

Not wasting anymore time, Shinji began sprinting for the exit. He was able to make it to the garden that connected the various buildings of the Institute. Not taking the time to appreciate the beauty of the scenery, the fiery colours of the leaves some of them dancing in the air as they fell, he checked the map again and went towards the building where the class was held.

He entered the Modern Music building, and went first thing for the stairs. He found it strange that the halls were deserted, not even a sign of any students waiting to enter the classes. Either way he kept running, checking his watch to find that he was already ten minutes late. He hurried his step… wondering if everyone was already inside the classrooms.

He reached the second floor and checked his map once more. He only needed to get to the other side of the violin section and he would reach the history room. He started his final dash, but something caught his attention… a pair of red eyes.

"Have a nice day Miss Integra… it is wonderful to know we'll be working together this year."

It was Kaworu coming out of one of the classrooms. Shinji tried to avoid the boy… he was already very late and if he got lost in a conversation with the grey haired boy he might get to the point of missing the class altogether. But Kaworu thought otherwise and grabbed Shinji's arm when he passed almost making the younger boy fall to the ground.

"Someone's in a hurry…" said the grey haired youth smiling as always "… so, you're not even going to bother and say good morning?"

Shinji blushed and looked away from his penetrating stare.

"Sorry, about that. It's just that I'm late for my history class. We'll talk later ok."

He began to leave but Kaworu wouldn't let go.

"Did you say Music History?"

"Yes… so please let go."

"The same Music History that only starts in about an hour?"

"Exactly so if you would… what?"

Kaworu laughed, his voice sprouting like a cascade. Shinji blushed even more… he was such an idiot; he didn't even check his schedule. He looked around… so that was why there was no one around.

_And why Misato-san was snickering._

He scratched his head and looked at his red eyed colleague.

"In that case… good morning Kaworu; how was your day?"

The red eyed boy chuckled.

"Just fine… but now that you have a whole hour you won't mind telling me about your classes. I've got some time and just came out of my violin class. How did Misato treat you?"

Theblueeyed boysmiled, for the first time today he had some time for himself.

* * *

Shinji entered the history room relaxed and prepared for the new class. He had spent the last hour walking around the gardens of the school with Kaworu, finally able to appreciate the beauty of autumn. The colours were so warm and bright, the fresh green replaced with the vivid red or glowing yellow. He had even picked up some leaves (he liked to let them dry between the pages of his books) and kept in his school bag. It wasn't until he had to return to classes that the two male parted.

He took a look around the classroom, still empty since he was five minutes early (something he would have never thought possible for his first day at the school). He did however spot someone sitting in one of the desks, one of the students perhaps.

A head of dark grey hair, with pale skin and a pleasant face, with a smile as if he was remembering a joke made up the other occupant of the otherwise empty classroom. He looked older than Shinji; in fact, Shinji was certain that he must at least be three years older than Shinji.

_But then again it's natural to get in with nineteen years of age… you are the one that had to be the little prodigy._

More out of reflex than choice, Shinji tried to find a seat the furthest from the occupied one. But the other male seemed to have different plans.

"Hey!" he waved a hand at Shinji and pointed at the seat next to him "This seat isn't taken. Why not enjoy some company during classes?"

The dark haired boy gulped at the smirk the older male seemed to be throwing him. He made his way to the seat next to him. When he arrived he was offered a friendly shake of the hand.

"Now… isn't socializing better than being alone?" the male chuckled "Hello… my name is Kamina, Kamina Ayato. It is a pleasure to meet you…"

"Shinji Ikari."

"Oh right… the new cello student."

Shinji blushed at that.

_Just how many people know about me!_

"Wow, you look really young! Younger than I expected… how old are you?"

"Hmm…" Shinji scratched his head, a bit embarrassed "I'm sixteen."

The blue eyes of the older male widened.

"That young… you must be really something to have made it."

"I'm not that young… there isn't much of a difference between us." Shinji commented fed up with the "you're so young" speech he was being given.

"Believe me there is."

"Oh yeah…"

_Just because he's three years older he thinks he's a…_

"Yeah… I'm 27."

… _whole lot different from… **what!**_

Shinji stared in disbelief… eleven years, the student standing next to him was eleven years older than him.

_How's that possible… how many times did he fail this class?_

He remembered it was probably rude to look surprised; so he tried to disguise his shock with a nonchalant "oh" and sat down waiting for the room to fill. The quite older Kamina chuckled at the reaction.

"Told ya…"

A few minutes passed and the other students started to make their way inside the class and onto their seats. As the room filled with people and noise, Shinji started to notice something missing… the teacher was nowhere to be found. Turning to his colleague he asked.

"Does the teacher always arrive this late?"

Kamina smiled, looked at Shinji with a strangely amused expression and said.

"Let's give him a few more minutes, shall we?"

Shinji dismissed him and resumed waiting for the tardy lecturer. It wasn't until a few minutes later that he heard a loud voice coming from his right side.

"I believe we can start now."

The room was silent and Shinji gaped as he saw Kamina rise from his seat and take a look around class with a little grin playing on his lips.

"Good morning class, I hope we're all ready to begin. My name is Kamina Ayato and I'll be your Music History teacher for this year. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

* * *

After the rather original class, Shinji was certain of three things: first, that the teachers in the Institute were a bit different from the normal ones (at least they didn't look like teachers); second, that he had a lot of catching up to do both in cello and history; third, and probably the most important at that moment, that he was late and this time for real.

The class didn't take that long but there seemed to be something strange about the way the school was built. There seemed to be a point in it, in fact he saw a lot of people coming and going naturally, perfectly aware of where their next class was going to be and yet… it didn't work the same way for Shinji.

So, the boy was running yet again through the halls of the Early Music department trying to read the map and find his way at the same time. He was supposed to have Ensemble Class… the problem was that he didn't know where it was supposed to be held or which ensemble he belonged to. He preferred to run instead of figuring it out.

He went up another flight of stairs breathing heavily eyes fixed on the map not really paying attention to his surroundings.

_I'm late, I'm late… I'm so late!_

So concentrated was he on the map that he didn't hear the frantic voice coming nearer and nearer.

"Got to run, got to run… got to run!"

Shinji was only able to spot a long scarlet haired braid… and then his head came against something hard, leaving Shinji blind with pain and with a strange feeling of _déjà-vu_.

**

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Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) is probably one the most famous of the twentieth century composers, for his wild and vivid works where the powers of nature and the raw energy of youth come to life in his ballets. Even so, I actually chose one of his strangest works. Although Pulcinella is one of his ballets it is in fact inspired in the works of Baroque composers… sounds a lot like the Vivaldi that composed the Four Seasons and a lot less like the Stravinsky that composed the Rites of Spring.**

As for Bach's cello suite, I think every NGE fan must have heard it being played by our dear little Shinji. Although, this time, try to picture it sounding much much better than in the series.

**A/N:** Well… I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and the new additions to our cast of anime stars. Again, I'm so sorry for taking so long to update, but be sure that the next one will come quite sooner than you expect.

It is a scientific proof that reviews work as a powerful ego-boost… at least for me. Please, it doesn't take a lot. Just press the little button down there.


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